Plastic Surgeons are seeing a huge uptick in business related to excess skin after weight loss. This isn’t the result of traditional 
diets or even bariatric surgery, but a wave brought on by the successes of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications like Ozempic, which are increasingly seen in the media and touted by celebrities and everyday individuals alike. GLP-1 medications, like Ozempic, are changing the face of medicine. Orthopedic and Spine surgeons are afraid of losing their cash cow obesity related joint replacements, while Plastic Surgeons stand to see an uptick.
One procedure Plastic Surgeons are increasingly seeing is that of breast lift, or mastopexy. Often one of the places a woman loses weight first is in her breasts. This weight loss can leave the skin envelope empty, resulting in sagging and a downturned nipple. “Ozempic Breast” is a term gaining in popularity to describe this situation.
What are GLP-1 medications?
Ozempic, primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes, has found fame for another of its benefits – weight loss. GLP-1 agonists are drugs that mimic the natural hormone GLP-1 in the body, which helps regulate blood sugar and decrease appetite.These medications can lead to significant weight loss by enhancing the body’s response to insulin, especially when coupled with diet and exercise. They serve to slow gastric emptying, resulting in feeling of fullness, but they also trick the brain into feeling satiated and suppressing appetite.
These medications are manufactured under many brand names, and according to the Mayo Clinic, these GLP-1 medications are also called:
- Dulaglutide (Trulicity)
- Exenatide (Byetta)
- Exenatide extended release (Bydureon BCise)
- Liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda)
- Lixisenatide (Adlyxin)
- Semaglutide (Ozempic)
- Semaglutide (Rybelsus)
What can plastic surgery do for Ozempic weight-loss patients?
Plastic surgery can offer transformative post-weight loss procedures to remove extra skin that sometimes hangs from patients breasts, arms, abdomen, thighs and other areas.
This is where plastic surgery can play a crucial role in the final steps of a person’s transformation through skin-tightening procedures like breast lifts.
What is a breast lift or mastopexy?
A breast lift in plastic surgery is a procedure used to eliminate hanging skin on the breasts and also elevate the nipple to a position where it is facing forward instead of down. It can be used with or without an implant.
What’s is the difference between a breast lift alone and a breast lift with an implant?
The main difference is in the fullness and cleavage one can achieve in the upper portion of the breast. If one wants a round upper portion of the breast and wants to have great cleavage in a dress or bathing suit, then an implant will be required.
What is unique about Dr. Graham’s breast lift technique?
Dr. Graham utilizes and advanced breast lift/augmentation technique that he learned from Dr. Bradley Calobrace, of Louisville Kentucky. This technique eliminates sagging tissues of the breast while augmenting the upper portions of the breast. The implant is placed first, protected by overlying breast tissue, and then the breast is meticulously sculpted around this construct (Think of the papermache projects you used to do in school). This provides safety for the implant and yields a longlasting perky result.
